Vegetable Pakora

This makes for great snack food, and perfect for appetizers to any party. Zucchinis, broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, even bananas make this a scrumptious snack.

Ingredients:

1 c. chickpea flour
1/4 c. rice flour
1 t. salt
1 1/2 T chili powder
1 1/2 T.  ground coriander
3/4 c. water
potatoes sliced thin and cut into bite-sized chunks
chopped veggies (zucchini, cauliflower,  or bananas)
vegetable oil for frying

1. Mix all ingredients together until you have the consistency of crepe batter. Add more water as needed. Mix until all lumps are gone and batter is smooth.

2. Chop whatever vegetables you are using, and put salt and paprika on them.

3. Fill a wok or deep fryer with vegetable oil and heat up on high heat. When you put a drop of batter in the hot oil and the batter comes right up, it is at the right temperature. Reduce the heat to medium.

4. When the batter-covered vegetables rise back up to the surface of the oil and are golden brown, you can remove them and place onto a paper towel to soak up excess oil.

Tomato Soup with Coconut Milk

Spring rain might bring April flowers, but it's a serious reason to keep making soup even if winter has lost its grip. This brings the comfort of tomato soup to a whole new level. Subtle flavors that really make it quite scrumptious, and it's quick and easy to prepare!

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4









Ingredients:

4 medium tomatoes
13.6 oz. can of coconut milk (lite ok)
1 T. ginger, chopped
1 serrano chile, stem removed, cut in half
1 t. cumin seeds
2 T. butter or ghee
2 t. salt (or to taste)
pinch of sugar
fresh cilantro for garnish

1. Boil tomatoes until skin falls off. Remove tomatoes from water, and remove skins. Put a cup of water and tomatoes into a blender. Blend thoroughly with ginger. Strain tomatoes through a fine sieve.

2. Put tomato mixture into a saucepan. Add coconut milk and blend with the tomatoes.

3. To make the tadaka (seasoning): in a small pan, heat up the butter or ghee, then add cumin seeds. When the seeds start popping, add the chili pepper. Add the tadaka to the tomato mixture. Add the salt and pinch of sugar. Put on medium heat, and stir constantly until it comes to a boil.

4. Serve with chopped cilantro for a garnish.

Onion Pakora

Sometimes deep fried things are too good to resist. This is one of those times where it is impossible deny the palate. The onions get caramelized in the frying process, making this quite delectable and sweet. Even kids will love them! Pakora can have any kind of vegetable and apparently even fruit (banana pakora to come soon!).

Prep time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4 (about 20 pakora)

Ingredients:
1 large onion, cut in half, then thinly sliced
3 t. chili powder
2 t. salt
1/2 t. turmeric
2 t. ground coriander
1 t. ground cumin
pinch of sugar
chopped cilantro
1 c. chickpea flour (available at health food or Indian grocery stores)
1/4 c. white rice flour (available at health food stores)
2 T. water
vegetable oil for frying

1. Put onion in a bowl, and cover with salt. Let sit for half an hour. Then add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well together until the flour completely cakes the onion mixture. It should look like a sticky paste covering the onions.

2. Heat up at least 2" of vegetable oil in a deep fry pan on high heat. Reduce heat to medium high, and drop spoonfuls of the onion mixture into the oil and fry until deep golden brown.

Okra - Bhindi

Ok, so okra might not be everyone's favorite vegetable...but after you make this, it might be. Seriously, don't pass go, don't collect $200, just head into your kitchen and whip this up. It's simply delicious!

Ingredients:
1-1/2 lbs. okra, ends chopped, sliced on the diagonal 1/4" thick
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 serrano chili, chopped (omit seeds if you want less spicy)
1 T. ginger, grated
1/2 t. turmeric
1 T. ground coriander
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/4 t. garam masala
t. black mustard seeds
salt to taste
pinch of sugar
2 T. oil

1. Heat oil on medium heat, add mustard seeds and cook until they stop popping, then add turmeric and onions. Cook onions until translucent, 2-3 minutes.

2. Add ginger and chilis, then add the okra. Cook for 10 minutes on medium low, stirring occasionally.

3. Add remaining spices and finally add the salt. If you add the salt before, it will get too watery.

Saag Paneer

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes + 20 minutes

Ingredients:
16 oz. baby spinach
2 T. ginger
4 cloves garlic
1 red onion, chopped
1/2 c. water
2 T. vegetable oil
2 T. ghee or butter
4-6 green cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
fenugreek leaves (if you can find fresh) or 6 fenugreek seeds ground

fenugreek leaves

Ginger, cut into match sticks (a thumb's worth)
1 T. ground coriander
1 t. garam masala
1/4 c. greek yogurt
salt to taste
paneer (can be found at Indian grocery stores, or made fresh), cut into 1-inch cubes 
Tadaka (seasoning):
2 T. butter or ghee
4 dried red chilis
1/4 t. cayenne pepper or paprika (if you don't like the heat)

1. Put spinach, ginger, garlic cloves, onion and water and let wilt in a covered fry pan on low heat for 30 minutes. Purée in a blender or food processor.

2. Put oil and ghee in a fry pan on medium heat. Add cardamom, cinnamon stick, fenugreek leaves or ground fenugreek seeds, ginger matchsticks, coriander, garam masala. Then add the puréed spinach and gradually incorporate the yogurt to avoid curdling. Sauté for 5 to 10 minutes.

3. In a separate pan, sauté and brown both sides of the paneer cubes.

4. For the tadaka (or seasoning), melt butter in a small sauce pan. Add the dried chilis and cayenne pepper or paprika. Add less chilis and add paprika instead of cayenne if you want a milder flavored saag.

5. Put puréed spinach in a serving dish, place paneer on top, then add the tadaka and mix everything together. Garnish with some chopped cilantro, eat with some naan or chapati...yum!!

Chhaya's Lentil Soup

 This blog is inspired by Leela, Chhaya's mother. Chhaya talks endlessly about the wonderful flavors she would conjure up while she was cooking. You can just picture the steam in the small kitchen in India, and smell the spices hitting the pans, their aroma becoming an olfactory extravaganza. Chhaya has her own inherent sense of how to tantalize your taste and come knocking down her door for more. The flavors you will experience here will be from a long train of Indian women's sense of spice. Enjoy!

What you need:

- 1 c. brown lentils
- 1 T. olive oil
- 2 medium red onions; 1 chopped for roasting; 1 diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 c. celery chopped
- 7 small carrots; 5 chopped in 1.5-in. chunks for roasting; 2 diced
- 1 T. ginger, minced
- 1 T. garlic, minced
- 2 Serrano chiles, stemmed, seeded and finely diced
- 1 c. red pepper, diced
- 2 c. water
- 1 13.6-oz. can of coconut milk

Spices:
- 1 T.  ground cumin
- 1 T. ground coriander seeds
- 1/2 T. garam masala
- 1/2 t. cayenne pepper
- pinch of brown sugar
- salt and pepper

- cilantro, lemon juice and sour cream (or greek yogurt) for garnish

1. Cover lentils with at least one inch of warm water. Soak for 2 hours. Drain and rinse.

2. Preheat oven to 375°. Chop 5 carrots and one medium onion. Coat in olive oil, salt and pepper. Place parchment paper on cookie tray, and place carrots and onions on tray. Roast for 30-45 minutes, or until carrots are soft. Place in blender or food processor with 1/2 cup of water. Purée.

3. In a dutch oven or large soup pot, sauté onions with carrots, celery, garlic, ginger and chiles. When onions are translucent, add the red peppers. Add the lentils, roasted carrot purée and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes.

4. Add spices. Add coconut milk.

5. Garnish with cilantro, sour cream or greek yogurt, a splash of lemon...if you're brave, some fresh chiles!

6. Savor the flavor.